"I am a rather calm individual, though different peoples seem to have differing words to describe that calm. My few friends and allies would describe me as being fearless, while my rivals and enemies would describe me as being indifferent to the pleasures and sufferings of others around me."

One of the principle traits that define Xanthus is his nigh impenetrable aura of calm. It is rare that a truly emotional response can be coaxed out of him, for he prefers to hide his emotions behind eyes as black as the darkest night and a face as unyielding as the darkness itself. Even within the heat of battle, the demonkin maintains a visage of being entirely in control. This makes him a valuable ally to have, as even in critical situations he will remain level-headed and clear-minded.

Attempting to truly understand Xanthus's emotional spectrum is akin to trying to discern physical traits in the dark. As your eyes adjust, more and more traits become noticeable, but there will always be certain aspects shrouded in darkness unless you can bring them to a brighter place.

"I am descended from the Dread Lord Kyros, the Arch-devil and Elemental of Darkness...do you truly believe that my will can belong to anyone other than my own self?"

Drawing from this calm, Xanthus is also exceedingly strong-willed. His will extends itself to multiple areas, but it is nearly always evident; it can be seen in the regal manner in which he walks and rides, in the calm and firm way he talks, and even in his will to survive and grow in power. Though his feelings towards his ancestor are ambivalent at best, Xanthus can sometimes be heard to say to someone who would seek to dominate that will that he is the descendant of Kyros and thus possessed of a will strong even among the demonkin.

"Tell me, when someone is possessed of a strong will, do you say that he is ambitious or disciplined? I have found that similarly to my calm, it depends almost entirely on whom I ask."

Beyond physical manifestations and the will to survive and surpass, Xanthus's demon-touched will manifests itself in the ability of mind that he has. He is highly intelligent and perceptive, being calculating just as his ancestor must himself be. Beyond these two traits he is rather subtle in his own way, having no problems with waiting in the darkness for events to transpire in some way that could be seen as advantageous to himself.

Spoiler:

Background/History:

"My history? What a curious subject to ask about. Very well, I suppose that it is time for a tale. I was born roughly one hundred and fifty years ago in the city-state of Darkridge, the son of a powerful noble lord with connections to the Thieves Guild. In the Dark City, it is wise to have a 'secret' that relatively few know about. It gives you an advantage over your peers and gives you an aura of mystery that compels the respect of those who rule in the shadows.

My family's 'secret,' would likely compel much respect amongst the dark lords of Darkridge: my line is directly descended from Kyros through the males. Yes, the Dread Lord Kyros, the Arch-devil and Elemental of Darkness is my ancestor, which is part of the reason why my family lives in Darkridge. Being born of literal darkness, living in a city where darkness prevails over light has advantages so numerous that I cannot begin to list them.

At any rate, I imagine that my family is somewhat of an oddity. Most families would be dismayed to learn of their taint, but not the Vas'Revenas family. Our feelings towards Kyros himself are ambivalent, but the dark powers his blood grants are used, trained, and encouraged. As such, growing up, I was taught by my father how to manipulate the powers of darkness just as his father had taught him and so on and so forth. Another thing that separates me from other demonkin is the fact that people seemed to not mind in Darkridge as much as they do elsewhere that I was the spawn of something not entirely human.

I suppose that when Vampires are the Overlords of a city-state, something like a demonkin is nothing to cause an overamount of attention-gathering. My growing life was nothing overly traumatic, though I was still as much a loner as most demonkin are, not because I was an outcast but because Darkridge is not a place for the overly friendly. I associated with the Thieve's Guild just as my father did, and even made some 'friends' within it at the higher and lower levels. You can imagine that I never lacked for pleasures being the son of a Lord and a friend to the Thieve's Guild, regardless of my origins. What I did lack, however, was an absence of restlessness. That would have been my demonic blood boiling; it happens in my family that the males leave Darkridge at a certain point in their lives, as Kyros's blood makes us quite unable to simply sit on easy power such as being nobility for overly long. No, I had to go out and earn my own power, and it had to be vast in nature. Thus I left and I've been exploring the world ever since, and this has lasted for over a century. There you are, a short history concerning the origins of Xanthus Vas'Revenas."

Roleplay Sample:

The darkness of the cave was relaxing to the various creatures that crawled about inside. It was soothing to the bats, the insects, and the various larger creatures that went without names. To one in particular however, the darkness felt like that of his ancestral home. Xanthus Vas'Revenas stalked about within the cave system without a torch, as the darkness held no secrets from his eyes. Various creatures watched him pass, but not one of them stirred from their restful positions.

They could sense that he was of their ilk: a creature born to live in shadows. Brushing back his silver-white hair that appeared to be a muted grey in the darkness, Xanthus contemplated the words of the blind man he had aided in the road. After saving the man from bandits who had thought to take advantage of his blindness, the man had told Xanthus that a reward rested for him in these caverns. Never one to turn down adventure or possible reward, Xanthus had thanked the man and made haste to venture here.

And he could sense that he would not be disappointed, as the air itself thrummed with power. It was this dull vibration in the air that Xanthus was following, and had been following for the greater part of a day. Finally he believed that he was reaching the end, as the vibrations were becoming more powerful with every step, until Xanthus could actually hear them as a faint sound almost akin to singing. It was when he reached the end of the cavern that the demonkin found what he was doubtlessly looking for: a deep purple sword, long and with a slight curve, embedded in a rock covered in runes at the end of a tunnel. When he reached the sword itself, Xanthus placed his hand on the hilt and knew that the vibrations he had been feeling had been originating from the blade.

They calmed however, when the sword felt his touch. 'It knows that I'm touching it...' Xanthus thought, for once in his life displaying awe on his face. This blade was sentient...alive. Pulling upwards, Xanthus found that pulling the blade from the stone was a simple feat, and that the vibrations grew calm and steady when he had done so. He assumed that this meant that the blade was pleased to finally be released from the stone prison. "What are you?" Xanthus asked the blade, giving it a few experimental swings and finding it to be perfectly balanced, like swinging an extension of his arm. The blade vibrated in answer, though Xanthus thought that for an instant he could understand it. This was no ordinary sword...this was a sword of fate, and it was his forevermore.